Brave Hero 6: A Tale Of Twelve
by LucentZinogre
Summary: A giant mecha is attacking San Fransokyo! This is nothing new, but there's something strange about this particular event... something that will cause two all-too-similar worlds to clash.
1. Darkness Falls

The deafening crash of shattering concrete and crunching metal echoed through the streets as the foot of the gigantic, dinosaur-shaped mecha descended to the ground, leveling a storefront like a sand castle. The city of San Fransokyo was once again ablaze, being torn apart by a mechanical monstrosity unlike any it had ever witnessed. And mechanical monstrosities were nothing new– San Fransokyo seemed to come under attack from some new threat every year. First Callaghan's mad revenge plot, then Krei Tech's screwup with the V.I.L.E. system, then Yama's new giant battle bots... This, however, surpassed every previous threat the Big Hero 6 had ever seen.

"Why aren't we doing any damage to it?!" shouted Wasabi, frantically trying to embed his lightsaber gauntlets in the mecha's armored plating only to be solidly deflected.

"Oh, I have _no idea._ Maybe it could have something to do with this thing being _a thousand feet tall?!_" responded an exasperated Gogo via her com-link.

"Baymax and I already scanned it," said Hiro as he circled the mecha. "Even with the Bot Scanner upgrade I installed, we can't get any information on what it's made of except that it's called the 'Juggernaut'. I don't know how that could– whoa, Baymax, PULL UP!" Hiro was interrupted as a terrible blast of fire streamed from the Juggernaut's mouth, and narrowly managed to swerve away in time.

"You call THAT fire?! Here's some fire, wimp!" Fred shouted from atop the Juggernaut's back, unleashing his own fire breath on the mecha's neck. Not surprisingly, it was completely ineffective at first like all their other attacks. As Fred kept it up, however, the metal eventually began faintly glowing red, to his surprise.

"HEY! GUYS! I THINK I FOUND HIS WEAK POINT– _UGHHH–_" His announcement was cut short by the Juggernaut's tail slamming into him, sending him flying off its back and through the window of a nearby building. Several hatches opened near the base of the mecha's neck, revealing a number of gun turrets protecting the supposed weak point.

Gogo facepalmed. "...Next time, how about _not_ telling him what we're about to do?"

"Sorryyyy..."

"Baymax, run an X-ray scan," said Hiro.

_"Scanning..."_ Baymax replied._ "My scan results indicate that Juggernaut's armor is much thinner at the neck area and made up of multiple jointed plates to allow for ease of head movement."_

"So that is the weak point..." said Hiro. "...I have a plan. Honey Lemon, Fred, see if you can take out the turrets from a distance while I distract him."

"Gotcha!"

"Gogo, Wasabi, you two go for the neck once we've softened him up."

"All right!"

"Baymax, dive!" Hiro commanded, and zoomed towards the Juggernaut. Each and every turret turned as one towards him, and let fly with a blistering laser barrage so dense that Hiro could barely see what was coming. More than once he had to barrel-roll to avoid getting blasted right off Baymax's back. As Honey launched one acidic paint grenade after another at the turrets, Fred ignited them as they flew by. When each one struck the Juggernaut, it exploded, covering the turrets in flaming, corrosive fluid. The turrets, it seemed, were not as durable as the rest of the mecha, and the onslaught against Hiro thinned as the turrets were slowly melted into uselessness.

"Nice work!" With the lasers gone, Hiro flew over the Juggernaut's head, heading straight for its tail. "Baymax, grab it!" Baymax did so upon collision, driving the tail into the ground with a crash, where it was immediately struck by another paint grenade from Honey Lemon, this one expanding and solidifying on impact, holding the tail in place.

"That won't hold it for very long! We gotta hurry!" said Gogo as she zoomed up the Juggernaut's tail and its back on her blade skates, slashing its already-heated neck armor vertically as she ran over it, and launching into the air off its head with a backflip. As she began to fall back down, Wasabi rushed in, wedged his lightsabers between the plates, and slashed horizontally, severing the joints. He jumped back down from the Juggernaut as Gogo landed, slicing the plates in half vertically in her way, and causing the mecha's entire neck armor to fall to the ground below in several pieces with a series of deafening _CLANG_s. Its inner frame and machinery were now visible through the gap.

"This is it! Baymax..." Hiro circled around and aimed for the back of the Juggernaut's head. "...ROCKET PUNCH!" Baymax's fist flew toward the mecha, and into the gap. A shower of sparks erupted from its neck as its head jerked back from the impact, severing its frame and breaking the wires. As Hiro and Baymax flew up out of the way, the Juggernaut's glowing eyes flickered, dimmed, and went out.

"We've done it! Nice shot, Baym–" Hiro was unable to finish his sentence, for what he saw when he looked into the sky ahead of him stopped his breath. The dark red sky was filled with millions of thick, writhing tentacles, stretching from one horizon to another. In the center of all of it was a colossal humanoid figure backed by a halo of golden machinery that made Hiro's mind hurt to even look at it. Most terrifying at all was its face; an empty black void that stared into his very soul. Baymax continued flying onward, _toward this thing in the sky; _Hiro could not scream, or do anything; he was frozen in absolute, indescribable terror. A voice emanated from it, a terrible, monstrous voice that sounded like countless voices layered on top of each other...

_"Hear me, restorer of life..."_

_"My children, my creations..."_

_"Whom thou hast turned against me..."_

Darkness began to envelop Hiro from all sides. Hiro could hear a single voice through all this, a voice very familiar to him... _No. No. He's gone. He's gone. He's gone. He's gone. He's gone._

_"I am Maxwell."_

_"Now, let forth the God of Destruction!"_

Hiro gave up trying to fight the fear. He fell forward against Baymax's back, and let the darkness wrap him in its folds, as everything faded into a warm, comforting white light.


	2. The Heroes

_I'm dead._

_It's over,_ thought Hiro Hamada._ I knew it'd have to happen eventually... I just didn't expect it to be so soon..._

It was a familiar feeling, much like when he had entered the portal– gods, that seemed like ages ago– drifting through interminable nothingness, with no sense of time or space...

A green light shone in the distance. It grew and grew, enveloping Hiro and returning sight to him. He could see himself when he looked down, minus armor, but otherwise intact.

_"Hiro Hamada..."_

Hiro shook his head. He could have sworn he had heard a voice emanating from the source of the light...

_"I am Lucius... the God of the Gate."_

"God of the– ...where am I? _What_ are you?" Hiro tried to ask, but no sound was produced.

_"Though you have been slain in battle, I have saved your soul and brought you into another world; another life."_

"Oh. So am I in heaven now, or..."

_"No... Your time as a hero is not over. The world you know is only one among many... and it is in grave danger from an evil force beyond mortal comprehension."_

Hiro was beginning to understand... or was he? "Wait. If you're implying I need to save _my_ world... again... why are you sending me to another–"

_"Go. Find your friends in Grand Gaia... and brave this frontier..."_

_"Awaken..."_

* * *

Hiro was lying in a field. The scent of grass filled his nostrils, and a warm breeze caressed his skin. He looked up at the sky, as blue and... _thing_-free as ever. Everything seemed mostly normal... It was quite relaxing, really. He lay there for a while, until the thought of how he ended up there crept back into his mind. It was then that he realized something was missing– he was in his normal clothes, and his flight armor was nowhere to be seen. And, for that matter, neither was–

"Baymax!" Hiro stumbled to his feet and looked around. He seemed to be at the peak of a huge plateau, one of many rising out of a sprawling forest. But he could see no trace of his inflatable friend. Then he remembered...

"That Lucius guy told me to 'find my friends in Grand Gaia.' This must be Grand Gaia, then...?" As he looked out over the landscape, he noticed an area that stood out from the rest; what looked to be a city surrounded by a towering wall. It looked tiny from Hiro's vantage point.

"That looks like as likely a place as any," Hiro said to himself. _But first I just need to get off this mountain... and I can't fly..._ He shrugged and peered down at the rocky cliffside, a stark contrast to the meadows at the peak and the forest at the foot. There seemed to be a semblance of a traversable path... Hiro began to make his way down.

* * *

Hiro hadn't counted on the path going into a cavern, but it had. It was pitch-dark, save for occasional luminescent crystals protruding from the walls. His footsteps echoed through the darkness around him, and he realized for the first time how small he felt on his own.

"Oh well... At least this cave seems pretty safe," he said to himself as he continued walking. And walking. And... _how long does this cavern go for, anyway?_ Maybe he should have gone the other way at that last chamber... He stopped, wondering how long it had been since he had entered. It was too dark to make sense of things, and the sound of his footsteps wasn't letting him think–

Wait.

_Those aren't my footsteps..._

_ There's someone else here._

It was quiet and far-off, but Hiro could definitely hear someone or something moving about deeper within the caverns. He was about to call out, but decided against it– he had seen enough movies to know what kind of things could lurk in caverns. Hiro began heading down the tunnel again, listening for the direction of the noise. He could tell he was getting closer, as he no longer had to strain to hear it, and he could see a faint glow in the distance. He was beginning to grow slightly nervous, and his pace slowly became faster and faster until he was outright running. He rounded a corner, and–

"EYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed in horror as he crashed headlong into something– a terrible demon mantled in metal spikes and brandishing a huge flaming broadsword! It let out an earsplitting screech as it swung its blade at Hiro, singing his shirt as he stumbled and fell backward trying to get away. He was cornered, and the demon was almost on top of him... Suddenly, it stopped its weapon inches above Hiro.

"...Wait... You're–"

"–not a monster..." they both said, sheepishly and almost at once. In the firelight, Hiro could see that the "demon" was actually a young boy about his age. He was dressed in red armor, and his fiery-colored hair was distinctly messy.

"Sorry about that..." the other boy said, his cheeks growing red from embarrassment. "For a second I thought you were a monster– you scared me half to death." He offered a hand to Hiro, who pulled himself up off the ground.

"N-no problem," said Hiro, relieved to meet another human at last. "My name's Hiro Hamada, by the way."

"I'm Vargas! Nice to meet you, Hiro," the other boy replied. "So, how did _you_ end up in the Granasta Caverns? Are you here to train too?"

"Nah, I saw a city from the top of the mountain, and I was on my way to it when I got lost down here..."

Vargas's eyes lit up. "You mean the Agni Empire?"

"I think so... Do you know the way there?"

"Yeah, I live there! C'mon, follow me!"

* * *

"...Whoa..." Hiro gazed up at the city's tremendous gate, made of dark red wood reinforced with steel. He'd had an impression of the size of the walls from up high, but right here in front of them, they seemed to stretch into the sky.

"Halt!" A pair of armored guards stepped in front of Hiro and Vargas as they approached, blocking their path. "Your names?"

"Fire God Vargas."

"W-WHAT– er, Hiro Hamada."

"Fire God Vargas..." _Yes, Hiro HAD heard Vargas's title clearly–_ "...confirmed. You may proceed." Hiro started after him, but was blocked.

"I'm sorry, but there is no Water Hero Hamada in the registry. As per wartime security protocol, you will be subject to a scan for concealed weapons or contraband items." The guard produced a small device with a crystal on the end, which swept a beam of light over Hiro before flashing green. "You may proceed. If you will be staying, we advise you to register with the Agni Security Agency as soon as possible.

"Okay. And my name's not– oh, never mind... Hey Vargas, wait up!" Hiro said as he followed Vargas into the capital city of the Agni Empire. It looked just like a classic vision of a medieval fantasy city; remarkably so, in fact. Red-roofed houses were lined up wall-to-wall along the bustling streets. A market square featured vendors and merchants of all kinds. And in the center of the city looming above the rest was a grand, imposing palace, with a marvelous domed roof topped by a golden statue.

"Hm?" Vargas replied. Hiro led him into a less crowded area.

"You never told me you were a god...!" he said to Vargas, softly enough to not be heard by others, but obviously vastly surprised.

"No, no, I'm not actually a _god_ god. That's just my title as a warrior. But you never told me about _your _title. Are you from the Sama Kingdom?"

"What do you mean, my titl– oh. Sorry... I'm not actually Water Hero anything, and I didn't even know I was supposed to give a title along with my name," Hiro explained.

"Oh. I was thinking, if you came from the Sama Kingdom, maybe you'd know Selena...!"

"Who?"

"She's my best friend. She's pretty well-known, even all the way over here..."


End file.
